Adventure Travel
Section II: Expedition Recruiting and Marketing Ascend Travel has a simple, but effective marketing program for expedition recruitment as follows: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
Word of mouth. Website. Electronic Newsletter. Specific Expedition Marketing Materials (flyers, postcards, bookmarks, posters, etc.). Targeted email to Previous Expedition Participants, and those specifically indicating future expedition interest. 6) Encouraging media coverage of completed expeditions. 7) Encouraging past expedition participants to be ambassadors and help recruit for future expeditions. The four primary materials that we use to send out to prospective participants are: 1) Mission Overview and Prospective Projects 2) Future Expeditions with Ascend Travel. 3) Links to online Expedition Application. 4) Expedition Overview (for the specific expedition). Leaders need to work with Ascend Travel to give us the information we need to do your specific Expedition Overview. We need your input before we can prepare this document! Please coordinate with Headquarters. We also encourage you to consider the following to bolster your expedition recruitment: 1) Contacting Key Groups and Distributing Specific Expedition Marketing Materials. Consider key groups such as dental or medical associations, travel agents, universities or high schools, public libraries and sporting goods stores. They may be very happy to forward the materials to their membership, or at least put an encouragement in their membership newsletter. 2) Seek local media coverage. Often, your local paper or radio station will be happy to do a PSA at no charge. Please also remember the value of assigning someone in your group to write a story and submit it to your local paper with photos when your expedition is completed, and/or submit video footage to your local TV station. This will definitely help recruitment for the next round!! 3) Host a recruitment meeting in your home or the home of another previous participant with prospective participants.
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